No. 11 Men's Water Polo Opens Season Action with the Bruno Classic

Cambridge, MASS.- The No. 11 Harvard men's water polo team gears up for the 2018 season with the Bruno Classic hosted by both Harvard and Brown. Harvard will spend the first day of the classic (Sept. 1) competing at Brown's Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center before competing at home in Blodgett Pool on Sept. 2.

Last year Harvard became back-to-back NWPC Champs and earned its second straight NCAA appearance. The Crimson moved past George Washington for the NWPC conference title before falling to Southern California in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

The Collegiate Water Polo Association ranked Harvard 11th in the preseason polls, the Crimson finished the 2017 season tied with UC-San Diego for the 11 spot.

The Crimson will face three of the top 10 pre-season ranked teams in the country; fifth ranked Pacific, seventh ranked UC- Davis followed by eighth ranked Pepperdine.

Last year, as a freshman, Dennis Blyashov was named third team All-America and led the Crimson with 94 goals, 30 assists and 30 steals. Additionally, Blyashov was named NWPC Rookie of the year and All-NWPC first team.

Like Harvard, UC-Davis earned their second consecutive conference title with a 22-7 record. The series is tied at 5-5 in the past 10 matchups.

About Harvard

The Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach, Ted Minnis, begins his ninth season after leading the Crimson to back-to-back NWPC championships, a second consecutive NCAA appearance and finishing with a 24-8 record in 2017. Minnis also earned the Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished Coaching Award for the Northwast Zone by USA Water Polo for the 2017 season.

Aye-Aye Captains

Junior captains Bennie Seybold and Austin Sechrest look to lead the team to another record season. Last year Sechrest was name All-America honorable mention, recorded 65 goals on the season with 36 steals and 16 field blocks. Only four other men in Harvard water polo history have received this honor, including Blyashov.

Next Up

The Crimson travels to Princeton, N.J. to take on George Washington, Navy and Fordham at the Princeton Invite next weekend Sept. 8-9.